eczema!

Has anyone found significant relief from eczema with a raw diet? I'm starting master cleanse tomorrow followed by my second attempt on raw foods and hoping to find some relief for my chronic eczema and sinus infections. I've seen both a naturopath, md, and allergist, and have thus far found no relief aside from prednisone and allergy medication which I really, really don't want to take for much longer. I need to figure out what is causing this rather than masking the symptoms, because not even the medication is really helping at this point.

My eczema started only about a little more than a year ago in conjunction with a sinus infection. Since then, I have found nothing, including avoiding dairy and wheat (which I am supposedly allergic to), that helps. My allergist thought it could be a mold allergy, as I have moved recently to a more humid climate. I however, feel like there is something else going on, something in my gut that is causing the flare ups.

Any information, ideas, or testimonials would be greatly appreciated. What has worked for others? Has a raw diet worked?

Thanks so much!

Comments

When I lived in Albany, GA a holistic doctor created an ointment for his daughter's eczema that cleared it right up. He said the main ingredient was olive oil- give it a shot! Sinus? Shop www.iherb.com for sinus supplements. I know that Ginger powder or root, horseraddish obivously, eucalyptus tea & oils burned in a diffuser, and for some reason honey really helps my flare up (mainly get when the seasons change). Oh and massaging my nasal and sinus area.

I've had eczema for years and have finally found relief using food grade diatomaceous earth. I take one and a half tablespoons each day (in ~1/2 cup water) and it keeps my eczema from flaring up; my eczema actually returns if I stop taking it. It honestly works and is so inexpensive. Go to www.earthworkshealth.com to purchase a gallon container for only ~ $11. I started to see results within a few weeks. Good luck!!

Taking salt baths (if you don't have a natural sulfur spring in your area) is supposed to be good for eczema. I don't have eczema but I bathe in salt from the Dead Sea every so often and I've read that it can clear up eczema by having just a few baths in it a month. It takes a good 2 or 3 cups of salt per bath - it's not a little "cap" full that most salt bath products say, so don't be fooled : ) Any how, you may want to check it out (I buy Dead Sea Salt in bulk online)... Sorry it's not an answer to your main Q about the raw diet and eczema!

Is the ultimate cleanse like the master cleanse? I was going to do the master cleanse, but after reading about it I decided against it for fear of loosing muscle mass (I'm a big runner and would hate to do that), so I was thinking of a juice feast or something of the like instead. Good news!

This time every year (from late Oct - Jan) when the weather gets cold and the heating is on everywhere my face literally cracks. Either side of my mouth my eczema comes out and it bleeds and looks awful. I usually buy makeup designed for people with burns to cover it or just hibernate until spring but since I went raw in October it has completely cleared up! My skin is just glowing and I look the best I have done in years. Believe me, I have tried all the lotions and potions out there but this is the only thing in 10 years that has worked for me.

I was born with severe eczema and as I grew older it seemed to have gotten better and better. I always had problems with it on my hands however in the palm area. It seemed I was going to have it forever. I finally was able to keep it at bay after going Vegan. Not Raw... but just Vegan, about 10 years ago. I almost never have problems with it now although I know it is still underneath and has the potential of becoming an issue. I know I just dont have to worry about it however because even if I slip off the raw train I am always Vegan.

I dont know if what i have is eczema, psoriais, or some other auto immune related rash but i though is chime in and say that dead sea saltcertainly does help but to cut cost i find the best solution is to buy some MSM powder (i got mine from swansons vitamins for about 13 dollors on sale) and add 1 teaspoon of that and 1 cup of dead sea salt to each bath. That way you get the higher concentration of MSM plus the benefits of the numerous substances in the salt without having to buy so much. That along with a 2 Tablespoons to a 1/4 cup of organic oat flour makes for a nice soothing soak which i follow with some homemade lotion. I hope you find some relief.

P.S. For the sinus issues i second tea tree oil in a burner or VERY little in a netti pot solution. Also if you would rather take something orally i highly reccomend oil of oregano which has helped me through many cold and is very multipurpose in case it doesnt work out for your sinuses.

Um im not going to lie im a raw paleo , but i felt i should mention a member on one of our forums has actually designed an entire website around how he cured his severe eczema eating raw paleo diet. Heres the link..

Mostly eczema is caused by weak adrenal function not outputting anti-inflammatory corticosteriods, anti-histamine adrenaline and so on. Liver toxicity also plays a role.

For your liver id recommend digestive bitters, these stimulate the bitter receptors on the back of the tongue, which inturn stimulate the release of stomach acid, pancreatic enzymes, bile secreation and in process cleanse the liver and gallbladder. Milk thistle and such are more liver protectants unless used as a bitter.

Raw foods have helped my skin in general but could not completely cure eczema. Btw I am not 100% raw. At present I am trying vitamin D3 (I was deficient in that) and Udo's Omega 3-6-9 oil. It is also warming up now. I no longer need to use the hydrocortisone cream but I guess I will have to wait a few weeks to see the full effect.

I use to get really bad eczema on my face all red and flaky. I hated it. It would get it really bad on both sides of my nose and in my eyebrows. Before I went raw and organic nothing would work except this steroid cream the dermatologist gave me. When I went raw I really forgot about it all together. Now I don't have to use any medication for my face thanks to raw organic foods. I can't really remember how long it took to clear up but it has been awhile. I do eat a lot of cashews and almond butter everyday. You just have to find what works for you. I also use a lot of coconut butter and raw cacao. I use a lot of superfoods in my everyday routine

I have always had eczema, sometimes worse than at other times. When I started the raw vegan diet 3 months ago at first it became worse, maybe because of detox. Right now it's not gone, but it's better than before the diet and improving. From my personal experience it helps to eat less nuts but I don't know if that applies to everyone; I think part of the problem with curing eczema is that everyone reacts to (combinations of) different things. I'm also taking MSM since a few weeks ago which may well play a role too (it's improved since around then).

A little update: I've been raw for 5 months now and the eczema is better than 2 months ago when I made the above post, and even better than before I went raw. For me I can say that something about the new diet works, and if I must guess I would say it's a combination of being raw, eating few nuts and taking MSM. Good luck!

i have been 90-100 % raw for over 3 years, along with lots of cleanses, flushes, and so on. i've never felt better.

and really, the only health issue i have that has not improved at all is dandruff, which started when i was 13 years old (22 now) - i dont know if i have eczema or psoriasis or seborrheic dermatitis or if there really is a difference between those conditions.

sometimes i will have little itchy red patches on sides of nose or within eyebrow and those outbreaks usually take 4-5 days to clear up, then it might be a month before it happens again.

anyway ive gone through a lot of different ideas as to why this happens: detox reaction, nutritional deficiency, allergic reaction, leaky gut, or some combination of those.

i use coal tar shampoo every 5-7 days and that really helps symptoms but i really want to heal the cause of the problem, not just cover up symptoms. and most shampoos have a lot of chemicals i'd rather not spread all over my body.

i recently came across this method for healing eczema/psoriasis by means of healing leaky gut on curezone.org. some people have reported almost complete stop to their symptoms in only 10 days.

every day for 1 month take:

75 mg zinc carnosine

10 mg biotin

2000-10,000 mg MSM

so im going to try this, and i'll report back. i generally would only take a vitamin/mineral supplement if it was a whole-food complex like INNATE RESPONSE but i'll have to break my rules on this one.

I suffered from severe dandruff (was diagnosed as seborrheic dermatitis) for several years, dry skin issues (most of my life) and some eczema (on the shins) in the last few years. I saw different dermatologists. The prescription medication that worked best (for dandruff) was Stieprox, which is basically 1.5% ciclopirox olamine. But, as is the case with most of these allopathic medicines, you need to keep using it all your life.

Going raw (100% for a short while) and then only partially (50-90%) raw gradually cleared up my seborrheic dermatitis (dandruff) - I haven't used the prescription shampoo in several months. My skin improved HUGE. I longer need to use loads of Vaseline all over my body. But I still have remnants of mild eczema on my shins which is refusing to completely go away. For the eczema, I have tried MSM, flaxseed oil and powder, Udo's 3-6-9 oil, a paste of turmeric and neem powder in sesame oil, etc. but the last 10% of the problem is refusing to go away. I am still working on it.

Btw, I also installed a shower filter and completely stopped using all chemical laden soaps, shampoos , lotions, etc. I only use virgin organic coconut oil on my body from time to time.

as i say above if you havent tried bitter herbs on the back of the tongue to cleanse the liver, give it a try, eczema is linked to liver stagnation/toxicity aswell as adrenal gland dysfunction.

also try building up the adrenals with vitamin c rich foods such as the various berries, kiwis etc, if you want a herbal source then amla berry is the best. some thing camu camu is good but its only good if fresh or dried and consumed immediatley as its very unstable.

Something similar happened to me several years ago, and the eczema just would not go away. Eventually I figured out that it was a grass allergy that was compounded by eating rice and cane sugar. I can eat cane sugar as long as I don't have rice. If I do have rice, I can't have either one. Mucho lame, but I am curious if there are other interaction allergies out there.

I have had terrible eczema come and go on my face. I have seen great improvements by first, healing my leaky gut and battling (still) candida. But really seeing improvements since I started using high quality Organic Sulphur (MSM), and also treating Adrenal Fatique. It worsened at first from presumed detox (Organic Sulphur is very powerful!) but now my skin is clearing up very nicely :) Kundalini yoga seems to help too!

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